On June 23rd, prolific songwriter, worshipper and revered recording artist, James Fortune, will release his much-anticipated 8th album, Dear Future Me (eOne). This breakthrough CD, certain to resonate with music fans of every persuasion, is the transparent tale of a man and his turbulent season characterized by separation, confinement and serious counselling. Unlike previous releases, Dear Future Me represents a catharsis of sorts for Fortune, enabling him to melodiously express his mistakes, speak to his shortcomings and declare his delivery from the mess that nearly marred his future.

In an interview with Christopher Heron he talked about healthy living, his life today, and his album.

On healthy living he said that for 11 years he has been a pescatarian, which means he does not eat any meat other than seafood. So no chicken, no turkey, no pork, no beef. when asked why he said; “It was a combination. Healthy living was one reason but the I did some research, I saw a PETA video on how animals are treated and that made me look deeper into how meat is prepared, things that go into it, how they allow animals that are sick to be sold for meat. So it had a lot to do with health as well as cruelty that’s done to animals” James Fortune

Talking about the album and track “Dear Future Me” ” I’m speaking into the future for everyone who’s felt like they no longer had a future. I think that’s one of our biggest fears. Sometimes, we’re thinking what’s the plan God has for us? Does God have a plan for me at all? Do I still have a future after a failure? Is there favor for me after failure? Is this the last chapter or are there more chapters to my stories? And if there are more chapters are those chapters going to be as painful as the ones I experienced in my past?

What I went through, in the last 4 years was one of those things that happens in your life that’s traumatic. We all have problems. We lose a job, or go through divorce. There’s so much hurt and pain and agony and trauma in a divorce. When you go through something like that, it’s hard to see light at the end of the tunnel. For me, it made me spend time with God, so He could show me that my steps are still ordered by Him, that nothing just happens. If we can have the right attitude, God will make those experiences work together for our good and for His glory“. James Fortune

In this very honest interview he talked about his struggles and difficulties ;

“By far, the separation from my kids and the divorce, the publicity are all difficult. But what’s tougher than dealing with the public is dealing with yourself. When you make a decision that hurts you, that’s bad, but when you make a decision that hurts everyone else, people you love and people you’re connected to like your children and your family, that’s the worst. When you realize that you’re accountable, that’s hard to deal with because you’re looking at children who are innocent, who have nothing to do with any of the drama you’re responsible for. Their lives are being changed because of it. That’s the hardest part. The public thing, that’s tough for anybody, but it’s not nearly as bad as having to look in the mirror and deal with yourself and the people and lives you’ve affected and changed forever.” James Fortune

When asked the reason behind such in-depth and honest lyrics he said ;

“When I went through counseling and therapy for the past three years, one of the most difficult things I discovered about myself was lack of accountability. It’s always easy to point the finger at other people. God had to check me and say, ‘’Stop worrying about what’s not true and let’s deal with what’s true. Let’s be accountable for what you did do.’’ As people, we spend so much time justifying our actions and minimizing our mistakes and never really dealing with our issues. We’re too busy talking about other people’s problems. We never take time to say, ‘’I need to look at me.’’ So as I was receiving counsel, I’m writing.

That’s therapy for me. So a lot of these songs you hear is me writing through the journey. When you take a song like Dear Future Me, you’re hearing some of the thoughts going through my head. Will I ever smile again? I don’t know. I’m not talking about the smile that we put on for Instagram. I’m talking about the smile that’s coming from the inside. So the lyrics that you’re hearing is me writing through the process. I sent the lyrics to my producer and musicians. It was this journal that turned into songs.” James Fortune

“I want people to walk away from listening to this album saying, ‘’I still have a future and my future is brighter than my past.’’ I’ve been going to a lot of jails and prisons lately with this message. There are people who feel like they have no future. Their criminal records aren’t going anywhere. At one jail, one guy raised his hand and said, ‘’How do I forgive myself, how do I still have a future? Should I just say I forgive myself?’’ I said, “Forgiving yourself is verbalizing it. Don’t allow memories to produce pain towards your future.”

That’s how I want people to walk away from this record. Of course they’re going to dance, they’re going to jam, they’re going to worship on some of these awesome tracks. But at the end of the day, I want them to realize ‘’This is James and he bounced back. He was wrong. He admitted he was wrong and he got up. He did the hard work, he dealt with himself. Not once did I hear him make excuses for his actions or blame anybody else for his actions. Instead he got up and God is still using him, so God can still use me if I make those choices too.’’

Get “Dear Future Me” by James Fortune
Download “Dear Future Me” by James Fortune
from Amazon | iTunes | Google Play

Release Date: June 23, 2017 | Label: eOne Music

Source

blackgospel.com